Vacuum cleaner construction



Aug. 16, 1960 B. J. TAMARIN l 2,948,913

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VACUUM CLEANER CONSTRUCTION Filed July 2o, 1954 s sheets-sheet 2 A 35e/men .I 7'qMne/N. j

#Trae/Vex l Aug. 16, 1960 B. J. TAMARIN 2,948,913

VACUUM CLEANER CQNSTRUCTION Filed July 20, 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. BERN/42o l #MAP/N BY ,@a/

2,948,913 vAc'UUM CLEANER CoNsTRUcTIN Bernard J. Tamarin, Flourtown, Pa. Vacuum Cleaners Corp..of America, 1724 W. Indiana Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.)

Filed July 20, 19'5'4, Ser. No. 444,505

The 'present invention relates to a torpedo type vacuum-cleaner, and more particularly to a torpedo type vacuum-cleaner of the type in which the generally elongated and generally horizontally disposed cleaner-hous ing includes a dust-collector section or bag section at one end, preferably at the vacuum-inlet end or suction end, and a motor-and-fan section at the other end, namely at the discharge end, and in which the bottom of the dust-collector section is substantially higher than the bottom of the motor-and-fan section, and which includes a bag-ejector section beneath the front end of the dust-collector section and depending downwardly therefrom. The torpedo type vacuum-cleaner of this type is illustrated in United States Patent 2,667,943.

The present invention contemplates a vacuum-cleaner of this type, including a cord-reel beneath the bag seetion of the cleaner-housing and nested between the motor-and-fan section thereof and the bag-ejector section thereof, and so mounted and arranged as to be readily detachable therefrom and attachable thereto and to be firmly held in place with clearance between the bottom of the cord-reel and the plane of the bottom of the skids or supports for the cleaner, and further so arranged that the relatively stationary electric conductors from the cordreel extend into the motor section of the housing, with the extensible cord arranged to be payed out transversely of the axis of the housing and at a point generally midway of the length thereof.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention, there is shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which the invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and organizations of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 represents a side elevational view of a vacuum-cleaner embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 represents a bottom plan View of the same.

Figure 3 represents a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2, on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a portion of the Vacuum-cleaner, shown disassembled, but with the parts shown in line with each other.

Figure 5 represents a section on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 represents a section on line 66 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 represents a section on line 7-7 of Figure 6.

Figure 8 represents a section on line y8 8 of Figure 3, on a somewhat reduced scale.

Figure 9 represents a section on line 9-9 of Figure 3.

In the accompanying drawings the vacuum-cleaner housing is designated generally by the numeral 21 while the motor-and-an section thereof is designated generally by the numeral 22, while the dust-collector or bag section is designated generally by the numeral 23, and the bag-ejector section by the numeral 24.

Patented Aug. 16, 195o The hing'e'd bag-closure member 25 having the suction inlet 25a in the front thereof, is pivotally mounted upon the pivot-supporting members 26, and opens outwardly generally in the direction of the arrow 26a for the insertion and removal or ejection of the dust-collector bag. The air discharge is, in turn, at 27.

While the section 22 of the cleaner-housing 21 is referred to herein as the motor-and-fan section, the term fan is used generically to include an air mover whether it be a fan or impeller or any other air mover.

The pair of rails or skids or other supports 28 carry the cleaner in the horizontal position in the conventional manner, with the bottom of the housing-section 22 and of the ejector-section 24 spaced above the oor at asuitable distance.

The spring-winding electric cord-reel, designated genv erally by the numeral 29, includes a dished reel-housing 64 formed of sheet-metal or the like, with a pay-out opening 32' thereof (bordered by an anti-friction grommet 33) facing towards the side of the cleaner at or near the center thereof, as shown particularly in Figure 2.

The reel 29 is nested between downwardly depending vertical wall 34 of the motor-and-fan section 22 and the juxtaposed vertical wall 35 of the bag-ejector section 24.

The cord-reel illustrated in the accompanying drawings may be that of United States Patents 2,391,840 or of 2,521,178 or may be any other spring-winding electric cord-reel in which the retention of the cord-drum in any pay-out position is affected by detent mechanism not dependent on gravity or in which such detent mechanism is operative with the axis of the cord-reel disposed vertically.

From the free edge 66 of the more or less cylindrical wall or side-wall 67 of the shell 64, one or more slight projections 68 are provided either integrally with the side-wall 67 or aiXed thereto (as indicated in Figure 4), which are adapted to engage in corresponding detion 23 to prevent the rotation of the reel-housing 64-l in relation to the bag section 23 of the cleaner.

Above the wall 46 a terminal-block 30, is provided,A of insulating material, and is riveted or otherwise se cured in place by means of the rivets 31 or any other suitable fastening means. The terminal block 30 has secured therein and therethrough the electrical connector pins or terminals 36 and 37 either molded therein or otherwise aiiixed therein. To the inner ends of which terminals 36 and 37, the electrical conductors 80 and 81 are soldered or otherwise aixed; said electrical conductors and 81 extending through the wall 49 of the motor-and-fan section 22 and are connected to the motor therein. The wall 46 is provided with openings 38 and 39, through which the slightly raised portions 40 and 41 of the terminal-block 30 extend. The outer or lower ends of terminals 36 and 37 are slitted as indicated in Figure 3 so as to permit a slight transverse compression and expansion of said ends, so that when the tubular rivets or grommets 718 and 79 by which the collectorbrushes 76 and 77 are secured to the brush-carry insulator block 72, are telescop'ed over the slitted ends of the terminal pins 36 and 37, the latter will make good electrical contact with said tubular rivets or grommets 78 and 79, without any soldering or other securement.

A nut 42 is secured to the wall 46 by welding or the like, and a hole 99 extended through the wall 46 in line with the nut 42. The screw 93, extending through the tubular reel-axle 65 and the hole 99 is threaded into the nut 42, to hold the reel as well as the brush-block 72 to the underside of the wall 46 of the bag section 23. Thus, v the brush-block 72 (see Figures 3 and 4) is slippedonto f' than tubular, and, if desired, the block 30' as well asthe conductors 8G and'Sl may be covered over by suitable covering means, both to protect' the' conductors and also to prevent air leakage through the wall 46.

The winding spring 96 is disposedwithin the cord-drum 86, with its inner end anchored in a slit 97 inthe stationary axle 65, and itsy outer endV riveted to the drum 86 as at 98. Within the cord-drum 86 the insulating block 35 is disposed, carrying the slip-rings or collectorrings 83 and 84. The metallic drum portion 86a in which the slip-ring-block S is disposed, is preferably made separately and aixed to the drum-portion 36; the portions 86 and 86a, combined, constituting the corddrum. The flexible cord 94 extends into the block S5 and has the conductors 94a and 94b thereofy soldered to the slip-rings 83 and 84, or to rearward connector extensions 83a and 84a thereof. To the outer end of the cord 94 the connector-plug 95 is attached.

The reel-axle 65 is interlocked with the reel-case 64' by means of the elongated hole 92 (Figure 4) and the correspondingly flattened end (10G in 'Figure 9) of the axle 65 extending thereinto.

The latch mechanism for locking and releasing the drum, by successive pulls on the cord 94, is shown particularly at the top of Figure 3 and in Figure 9, and is more fully described in U.S. Patent 2,391,840.

The present invention may be embodied in other specic forms without departingy from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, the following is claimed:

l. In a torpedo type electric vacuum-cleaner comprising a generally elongated cleaner-housing, said housing including a bag section, a bag-ejector section beneath the front end of said bag section and a motor-and-fan section containing an electric motor and an air-mover adapted to be driven thereby and support means for carrying said cleaner-housing with its underside spaced above a support surface, a spring tubular axle and a reel-casing'open at its top and having a bottom and side Walls disposed beneath said bag section and nested between said motor-and-fan section and said bag-ejector section and with the open top juxtaposed to a wall of said cleaner-housing, in a generally horizontal position with' its axis generally vertical in relation to the basal-plane of the vacuum-cleaner, a fastener extending through said axle, detachably fastening said cord-reel including its aforementioned reel-casing, in its aforesaid nested position, pairs of operatively juxtaposed rotary and stationary electric contacts, the rotary contacts being connected with the inner ends of the conductors of the cord on said cord-reel and the stationary electrical contacts being connected with corresponding conductors extending from the motor section of the cleaner-housing and being connected with the electric motor therein, and an interlock between the side-Walls of said reel-casing and the juxtaposed wall of the cleanerhousing to prevent the rotation of the former in relation to the latter.

2. In a torpedo type electric vacuum-cleaner comprising a generally elongated cleaner-housing, said housing including a bag section, a bag-ejector section beneath the front end. of said bag section and a motor-endian, SQQD containing an electric motor and an air-mover adapted to be driven thereby andsupport means for carrying said cleaner-housing with its underside spaced above a support surface, a spring-wound electric cord-reel including a generally stationary tubular axle and a reel-casing open at its top and having a bottom and side walls disposed beneath said bag section and nested between said motorand-fan section and said bag-ejector section and with the open top juxtaposed to a wall of said cleaner-housing, in a generally horizontal position with its axis generally vertical in relation to the basal-plane of the vacuumcleaner, a fastener extending through said axle, detachably fastening said cord-reel, including its aforementioned reel-casing, in its aforesaid nested position, pairs of operatively juxtaposed rotary and stationary electric contacts, the rotary contacts being connected with the inner ends of the conductors of the cord on said cord-reel and the stationary electrical contacts being connected with corresponding conductors extending from the motor section of the cleaner-housing and being connected with the electric motor therein, and an interlock between the sidewalls of said reel-casing and the juxtaposed wall of the cleaner-housing to prevent the rotation of the former in relation to the latter; the cord-pay-out position of said cord-reel being so disposed in relation to the vacuumcleaner, that the cord may be pulled out from said cordreel in a direction which is transverse of the axis of the vacuum-cleaner and in a zone nearer to the central zone of the supports of the cleaner than to either end thereof.

3. In a torpedo type electric vacuum-cleaner comprising a generally elongated cleaner-housing, a motor in said cleaner-housing, a spring-wound electric cord-reel including a generally stationary tubular axle and a reel-casing open at its top and having a bottom and side walls disposed beneath said cleaner-housing .in a generally horizontal position with its axis generally vertical in relation to the basal-plane of the vacuum-cleaner and with said open top of the cord-reel casing juxtaposed to a cleanerhousing wall, a fastener extending through said axle, detachably fastening said cord-reel, including its aforementioned reel-casing, in its aforesaid position, pairs of operatively juxtaposed rotary and stationary electric contacts, the rotary contacts being connected with the inne-r ends of the conductors of the cord on said cord-reel and the stationary electrical contacts being connected with corresponding conductors extending from the motor in the cleaner-housing and being connected with the electric motor therein, and an interlock between the sidewalls of said reel-casing and the juxtaposed wall of the cleaner-housing to prevent the rotation of the former .in relation to the latter.

4. In a torpedo type electric vacuum-cleaner comprising a generally elongated cleaner-housing, a motor in the cleaner-housing, a spring-wound electric cord-reel including a generally stationary tubular axle and a reelcasing open at its top and having a bottom and side walls disposed beneath said cleaner-housing in a generally horizontal position with its axis generally vertical in relation to the basal-plane of the vacuum-cleaner and with said open top of the cord-reel casing juxtaposed to a cleaner-housing wall, a fastener extending through said axle, detachably fastening said cord-reel, including its aforementioned reel-casing, in its aforesaid position, pairs of operatively juxtaposed rotary and stationary electric contacts, the rotary contacts being connected with the inner ends of the conductors of the cord on said cord-reel and the stationary electrical contacts being connected with corresponding conductors extending from the motor in the cleaner-housing and being connected with the electric motor therein, and an interlock between the sidewalls of said reel-casing and :the juxtaposed Wall of the cleaner-housing to prevent the rotation of the former in relation to the latter; the cord-payout position of said cord-reel being so disposed in relation to the vacuumcleaner, that the cord may be pulled out from said cordreel in a direction which is transverse of the axis of the vacuum-cleaner and in a zone nearer to the central zone of the supports of the cleaner than to either end thereo-f.

5. In a vacuum-cleaner including a cleaner-housing, an electric motor in said housing, a pair of insulatedly-supported electrical terminals extending through the wall of said cleaner-housing, the inner ends of said terminals being electrically connected with the motor of said cleaner, a brush-carrying block having contact-brushes thereon and having terminal-receiving electrical connector elements electrically connected With said contact-brushes and adapted to engage and receive the outer ends of said terminals when the brush-block is applied thereto, a cord-reel including insulatedly-carried slip-rings carried thereby, and a fastener for fastening said reel to said cleaner-housing and for maintaining said slip-rings in operative juxtaposition to said brushesy 6. In a vacuum-cleaner, a generally stationary insulatedly-supported electrical terminal extending through a Wall of, and carried by said cleaner, the inner end of said terminal being electrically connected with the motor thereof, a brush-carrying block having a contact-brush thereon and having a terminal engaging electrical connector electrically connected with said contact-brush and adapted to engage the outer end of said terminal when the brushblock is applied thereto, a cord-reel including an insulatedly-carried slip-ring and fastener means for fastening said reel to said cleaner and for maintaining said slipring in operative juxtaposition to said brush and for maintaining said brush-block in operative juxtaposition to said stationary terminal.

References Cited in the iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,691,400 Mitchell Nov. 13, 1928 2,348,966 Dow et al May 16, 1944 2,375,917 Gross May 15, 1945 2,503,568 Timm Apr. 11, 1950 2,580,642 Beede Jan. 1, 1952 2,590,890 Redo Apr. 1, 1952 2,641,330 Lofgren et a1 June 9, 1953 2,647,960 Benjamin Aug. 4, 1953 2,683,501I Lampe July 13, 1954 2,764,255 Beede Sept. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 452,273 France Mar. 3, 1913 634,811 France Dec. 9, 1927 653,166 Germany Nov. 16, 1937 

